Tremlett: Ashes ambition got me through the pain after spinal surgery

When Chris Tremlett was lying on his
bed in agony with only the television for company this winter, the
distant dream of bowling England to another Ashes victory was all he had
to keep him going.

Having undergone complicated spinal
surgery to correct two bulging disks in February last year, Tremlett
tore his knee cartilage just days into his comeback before suffering a
'scary' bout of sciatica which caused him to lose the feeling in his
left foot.

'I'd had two bulging disks which
were trapping the nerve, causing me a lot of pain through my back,' he
said. 'I needed two operations to create space for the nerve to come
through.

Frustration: Chris Tremlett has endured a painful comeback from injury

'When I played a couple of Twenty20 games for Surrey, I couldn't feel my left foot at all because the nerves were still dead in my foot and ankle.

'My surgeon told me it was normal to lose feeling in parts of my body. But it was pretty strange. I've got that feeling back now, but it's taken the best part of a year.

'Probably the scariest thing was when I injured my knee. I'd had back surgery six months earlier, but the pain recurred. It actually felt even worse. I was thinking, "I'm in agony, I can't even get out of bed and I've had back surgery; this isn't good".

'When you have severe pain like sciatica, sitting down and walking hurt. Lying in bed is the most comfortable position, so that's what I did.

'My girlfriend Holly was a huge support, but the pain affected my mood at times. I'd snap at her. My friends and family were going out to work and I was stuck at home in bed watching Loose Women and unable to move. Time passed pretty slowly.'

It is 14 months since the 6ft 7in fast bowler played the last of his 11 Tests - against Pakistan in Dubai last January - and the man Shane Warne once labelled 'soft' has proved he is anything but by completing a gruelling rehabilitation programme that saw him return for Surrey last week in a pre-season game against his former county Hampshire played in Arctic conditions in Southampton.

Raring to go: Chris Tremlett wants to be back for this year's Ashes

Last week, he was named in England's 30-man performance squad as Andy Flower signalled the 31-year-old remains firmly in his thoughts ahead of back-to-back Ashes series later this year.

'When I was putting in the hard yards on the treadmill, the thought of playing for England was always at the back of my mind,' he added. 'I'm champing at the bit to get back in the England set-up. It doesn't get any better for an English cricketer than facing Australia. Winning the Ashes in 2010-11 was the best experience I've ever had on a cricket field.'

Tremlett took 17 wickets in that series at 23.35, including the final scalp when he bowled Michael Beer to complete a famous 3-1 triumph.

Confidence: Chris Tremlett no longer worries about his ability to compete

Unlike in his formative years, he no longer doubts his ability to compete again at the highest level.

'When I'm fully fit and bowling well, I don't think there's anybody who can bowl as well as me,' he said. 'It's the times that I'm not quite firing and not quite fit that I struggle.

'To know I'm still in the selectors' thoughts is great. Now it's down to me to get back on the park and produce the performances that get me back in that set-up.'